Gundam, Gravity Elegy

Although she was dressed in a gorgeous long dress and looked like a rich young lady, a look of panic appeared on her pretty face.

She knew in her heart that as a soldier, she should obey orders from her superiors, but...

"I really don't feel comfortable in this kind of situation."

Leaning against the outermost railing, Ellen couldn't help but sigh.

She didn't know how everyone else's day was, but for now, she felt her stress levels were about to reach their limit.

"But it's alright, anyway, you don't need to do much. You don't even need to flatter these people. You just need to play the role of a passerby at this charity gala."

"But can this kind of occasion really be called 'charity'?"

Looking at those people with all sorts of arrogant or ingratiating smiles, Ellen couldn't help but mutter to herself.

"It's just a group of people gathered together, discussing their respective transactions."

"But that's what they say, so just take it as it is. It won't hurt you anyway."

He casually downed the red wine in his hand like a bull drinking water in one gulp, then yawned as he dressed like a bodyguard.

"For these people, they just need a seemingly more formal occasion to hide their own filth and corruption, and to give those exchanges of benefits a veneer."

At this point, he couldn't help but sneer:

"Whether it's charity today, the fervor for space colonization in the past, or even Deikun's ideals, they're all just this kind of thing."

“Daiken…”

Eileen looked like she wanted to say something, but then she saw a large hand cover her head.

"Alright, you don't need to worry about these things too much. Anyway, we low-ranking soldiers don't need to think about so much. Just do our job."

"Captain..."

"Well then, someone else will come to pick you up, I'll head out now."

"???"

Before Ellen could feel any emotion, a sudden remark nearly shut her down.

When the young woman came to her senses, she found that her boss, who was supposed to be there to support her in this situation, was walking away with an elegant gait.

Please help me~

"Huh?!"

But before she could utter a sound of surprise, a hand covered her mouth.

"Don't shout. At times like these, it's the worst thing you can do to attract attention."

"...Miss Tanya?"

Looking at the woman who had covered her mouth, Eileen's large eyes reflected a helpless expression:

"I have no idea why someone like you could join such a team and carry out this kind of mission."

"...I was transferred here by General Gao Yun."

"I know, so you don't need to repeat yourself!"

"Alas!"

Lieutenant Tanya's seemingly furious appearance terrified Eileen, leaving her barely daring to speak. Under that intense pressure, she couldn't even muster the thought of resisting.

"In short, come with me, this is where you can shine."

Holding her tightly, Eileen was dragged inside the passenger ship and taken to a small, dark room guarded by special personnel.

However, this seemingly house arrest actually made Ellen relax.

Looking around, the room was filled with various electronic devices, and three electronic screens clearly displayed the layout of the entire city surrounding the strait.

"We will protect you until you complete your mission."

“…Thank you very much, Lieutenant Tanya.”

After taking a deep breath, Ellen sat down in her seat, gently put on the suitable headphones, pressed the start button, and skillfully tuned the channel.

She could hear all sorts of sounds coming from her ears—the roar of machinery, the turning of gears.

Then, the mind cools down, and all the previous tension and panic are released.

Then she spoke:

"This is the Lion Dance Terminal. Please respond, all units."

"Jianjiang, received."

"Elegy, received."

"The Avengers are now en route to the target area..."

"Then, the Lion Awakening Terminal will officially begin its countdown. The operation will begin in one hour, with the target being the Al-Naut base occupied by Zeon, codenamed 'Dry Land Boat'."

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Surprise Attack (Eighth Update)

In fact, as an important gateway between East and West Eurasia, this region known as Turkey has been of unparalleled importance even in the Universal Century.

Before Zeon launched its Earth landing operation, the base called Al-Naut was also a garrison of the Earth Federation Forces, with a sizable force including the army, navy, and air force, serving as a 'gatekeeper' for the Turkish region.

But now, all of that is in the past.

Since the First Division, which surrendered earlier, and the subsequent Fifth Division, rapidly expanded, the Arabian Peninsula and the surrounding Eurasian and African regions had long been in the hands of the Zeon, who gained control of the region with almost no effort.

At this moment, the central airport of the base is not filled with the warplanes or tanks of the Earth Federation, which are full of the historical charm of the old century, but with works from space that are full of biological texture and alien imagination.

Leaving aside common military equipment such as Doppler fighters and Luger reconnaissance aircraft, one can also see naval submarines docked at the military port in the distance.

Of course, those things were obviously not original works of the duchy.

Since landing on the ground, the Principality's military seems unable to completely conquer the sky. Although they claim to control about 70 percent of the Earth's seas, just as they use large aircraft carriers to compensate for their endurance issues, they naturally rely on their advantages to take shortcuts in naval battles.

"MSM-08, Zokerk, so it's the successor to the Magma Crab?"

Gazing at the crab seafood display standing before her, Claudia asked a question.

"To be precise, they are sister models, essentially just improved versions of each other."

Dr. Kelster simply put his hands in his pockets:

"Because of the integration and maintenance plan two months ago, a new round of bidding for the main land-based aircraft has been launched in the mainland."

"So, this is the final result?"

"No, it's a failed design. The design from the Zmad Corporation won the bid, and the machine called 'Doma' has already been tested on the moon. This thing was sent here instead."

At this point, Dr. Kelster couldn't help but laugh:

"MIP Corporation is used to the design concept of aquatic products, so it wanted to further develop amphibious models. However, due to insufficient exploration in other fields, it was unable to completely abandon its water-cooled power unit design. In the end, it even claimed to be a Jabro-dedicated attack MS, which of course resulted in pleasing neither side."

As a developer, Dr. Kelster's words were filled with a disdain and arrogance that was hard for ordinary people to understand, while as a pilot, the girl's limited knowledge was obviously insufficient to help her understand those overly detailed things.

However, as a pilot, she can also see many things:

"This machine itself is equipped with electrothermal weapons, and at the same time, the original melee claws have been modified into a five-fingered structure..."

"The interface is universal, enabling the use of general-purpose weapons including machine guns, sabers, and even thermal axes. However, considering the potential need for prolonged land-based operations, beam weapons directly connected to the power reactor have been eliminated..."

"So, can we install 'that' now?"

Upon seeing the girl's perfect smile, which seemed to be wearing a mask, Dr. Kelster couldn't help but clench his fist.

But in the end, he didn't express his aversion:

"Yes, this is the third machine, and it's also painted with your logo."

He glanced at the skeletal insignia on the aircraft, then turned away, leaving the young but extraordinary pilots with only his distinctive, tall back view.

"Now that I've completed the task assigned by Major Ronette, I won't bother you any longer."

Watching the Doctor's departing figure, Claudia finally turned her gaze to the man who seemed to have been almost invisible from the beginning.

Rolf Ronnett—as an officer at the Al-Naut base and even throughout Istanbul, originally belonging to the 1st Division, should have had a bright future ahead of him.

But after the First Division suffered a crushing defeat at the front and even its supreme commander was captured, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

Not only has the command on the ground gradually fallen into the hands of the Assault Mobile Force, but more importantly, in the eyes of that woman Kycilia Zabi, rank has no meaning whatsoever.

Therefore, this situation occurs:

"Well then, Lieutenant Claudia, this is the order for the front-line operations. Please take it to Lieutenant Claude."

Despite having a higher rank, the major spoke with a humble and pleading tone.

"A few hours ago, various strongholds in the Greek region were subjected to a fierce attack by the Federation, so..."

"So shouldn't you ask General Ma Kebe for help? Odessa shouldn't just stand by and do nothing, right?"

"Of course there will be no response, because Major Ronette will not request assistance."

But before the girl could ask anything, another somewhat languid voice echoed out.

"Now that Lady Kycilia controls the European battlefield, if he casually asks for help, people will question his abilities and he might even lose his current job..."

"Lieutenant Claudiine..."

Major Ronet looked back at the girl who was walking towards him and wanted to say something, but the girl didn't pay any attention to him. She just yawned and walked to her sister's side. However, the way she looked like she was about to fall down at any moment did make people a little uneasy.

"Alright, I'll give this instruction sheet to my brother."

Seeing Major Rolf's smile, which could only be described as awkward, Claudia spoke up.

"Leave the aid to us."

"Thank you so much!"

After receiving a response from Lieutenant Claudia, Major Ronet finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"May you all achieve great success."

After saying these polite words, he, as the nominal boss and an adult, turned and left without looking back, leaving the two girls with a back view that could only be described as pathetic.

"So, sister, are you really going to help this kind of person?"

"It's not to help him, it's for Lady Kycilia."

Looking at the instruction book in her hand, Claudia shook her head.

"The Turkish region, like the Arabian Peninsula, is an important barrier for Odessa. If this region is lost, the Federation can bomb Odessa from here across the Black Sea, which is not conducive to Lady Kycilia's strategic plan."

"So, does that mean we have to let that good-for-nothing continue sitting in that position?"

"There's no other way. General Ma Kebe has already replaced a group of generals from the Space Attack Force and turned the area around Odessa into an impregnable fortress. We can't just take further action against these fence-sitters who have done nothing wrong without a reason."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Claudia's expression became somewhat strange. She seemed to want to say something but couldn't utter a sound.

Seeing this, Claudia, as the older sister, simply smiled:

"Alright, you're not good at thinking about these things anyway, so don't force yourself."

After gently patting her younger sister's head, she put away the instruction book in her hand.

"Now, your task is to go back to your room and get some sleep, so we can set off first thing tomorrow morning."

"And what about you, sister?"

"Me? Of course I'll go and give this instruction sheet to my brother..."

'boom'

Before the words had even finished, a loud bang suddenly rang in my ears.

Immediately afterwards, a loud alarm blared throughout the base.

"What happened?"

Author's message

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In case anyone doesn't understand why a water-cooled furnace is needed on land, it's because a water-cooled structure allows for the use of a more powerful furnace, which is why the Demon Crab can carry beam weapons.